When Animals Strike - Shocking Bear Attack

Animal Planet

6 Nov 200804:37

Summary

TLDRThe video script discusses the dangers of bear encounters, particularly with mother bears protecting their cubs. It highlights cases of grizzly and black bear attacks, noting that mothers of both species are highly protective. A key incident in Alaska involved hunters narrowly avoiding a grizzly attack by firing a warning shot, while another case describes a man's harrowing experience with a black bear in Colorado. The script emphasizes that while grizzlies are more aggressive, black bears, due to their larger population, are responsible for more frequent attacks in North America.

Takeaways

🐻 70% of Grizzly attacks on humans involve mothers protecting their cubs.
👨‍🔬 Wart Stone is a wildlife pathologist who studies North American animals.
👩‍👦 Just like human mothers, bear mothers are highly protective of their young.
🧭 Hunters in Alaska encountered grizzly bear cubs and avoided an attack by firing a warning shot at the mother bear.
🐻‍❄️ 66-year-old Wally Cash was attacked by a Grizzly in Yellowstone National Park while hunting, sustaining severe injuries.
🦴 Cash required 100 stitches and a titanium plate inserted into his head after the bear attack.
🐻 Despite Grizzlies' reputation, black bears are responsible for more injuries in North America due to their larger population.
🪓 In June 1999, Kurt Maelle was attacked by a black bear in Colorado Springs while trying to escape by climbing a tree.
🚶‍♂️ Maelle kicked the black bear and tried to escape but was repeatedly attacked, though he eventually survived by standing his ground.
🏞️ Experts suggest that standing your ground against black bears can be an effective strategy in deterring an attack.

Q & A

What causes 70% of human injuries from grizzly bear attacks?
-70% of human injuries from grizzly bear attacks are caused by mother bears defending their cubs.
Who is Wart Stone, and what does he study?
-Wart Stone is a wildlife pathologist who studies North American animals, focusing on the behaviors of mothers like bears, humans, and elephants when defending their babies.
How did hunters in Alaska avoid an actual grizzly bear attack?
-The hunters encountered grizzly bear cubs and heard the mother making noises to signal them to leave. They avoided a full attack by firing a warning shot, which stopped the bear from charging at them.
What happened to 66-year-old Wally Cash during his encounter with a grizzly bear?
-Wally Cash was attacked by a grizzly bear protecting her cubs while hunting in Yellowstone National Park. He needed 100 stitches and had a titanium plate inserted into his head after the attack.
Which bear species attacks humans more often, and why?
-Black bears attack humans more often than grizzly bears, likely because there are more black bears in North America—around 750,000 black bears compared to 75,000 grizzlies.
Why are black bears still dangerous despite being smaller than grizzlies?
-Black bears are still dangerous because they have the power to injure or kill. They can protect their young aggressively, have claws that can climb and attack, and jaws strong enough to rip through flesh.
What tactic did Kurt Maelle use to avoid a black bear attack?
-Kurt Maelle first tried to climb a tree to escape, but when the bear followed him, he kicked it in the head. Eventually, he stood his ground and made noise, which led the bear to back off.
How fast can bears run, and why is it important to know during an encounter?
-Bears can sprint 50% faster than humans, making it almost impossible to outrun them. This fact is crucial to know during an encounter because running away is not a viable escape strategy.
What does it mean when a bear stands on its hind legs?
-When a bear stands on its hind legs, it is not preparing to strike but is instead sizing up the competition and trying to appear more threatening.
What strategy did Kurt Maelle use to survive the black bear attack?
-Kurt Maelle stood his ground and made noise, which eventually caused the bear to back off. Experts suggest this is a good strategy when dealing with black bears.

Outlines

00:00

🐻 Grizzly Mothers and Their Protective Instincts

Grizzly bear attacks on humans are often caused by mothers defending their cubs. Wildlife pathologist Wart Stone highlights that maternal instinct, whether in humans, bears, or elephants, can trigger aggressive behavior when their young are threatened. In Alaska, hunters narrowly avoided a grizzly attack after hearing the mother bear signaling her cubs. Despite firing a warning shot, the mother charged, displaying classic attack behavior: ears back, mouth open, and teeth exposed. This incident emphasizes the danger posed by protective grizzly mothers.

🚨 66-Year-Old Hunter Survives a Grizzly Attack

Wally Cash, a 66-year-old hunter in Yellowstone National Park, was attacked by a grizzly protecting her cubs. The aftermath was dramatic, with Cash requiring 100 stitches and a titanium plate in his head. Although grizzly bears are aggressive, it is black bears that cause more injuries due to their larger population in North America. This account underscores the hazards of encountering a mother bear while hunting, as even experienced hunters face extreme danger.

🐾 Black Bears vs. Grizzlies: The Numbers Game

Though smaller than grizzlies, black bears are responsible for more injuries due to their larger population. North America has an estimated 750,000 black bears compared to 75,000 grizzlies. Despite their smaller size, black bears can be formidable, especially when protecting their young. This paragraph provides a comparison between the two species, highlighting the frequency of black bear encounters and the dangers they pose.

🏞️ A Close Call with a Black Bear in Colorado

In June 1999, Kurt Maelle encountered a black bear and her cubs in Colorado Springs while taking a shortcut through the woods. Faced with no other option, Maelle climbed a tree to escape, but the bear followed. After a struggle, during which Maelle was bitten, he managed to fend off the bear by kicking it. Despite being knocked down, Maelle's quick thinking and bravery, combined with standing his ground, likely saved his life.

🏃‍♂️ Outrunning the Unrunnable: A Bear's Reluctant Retreat

Maelle found himself in a life-or-death situation when he realized he couldn’t outrun the bear, as bears are much faster than humans. Instead, he stood his ground, a tactic experts recommend with black bears. As the bear sized him up by standing on its hind legs, Maelle acknowledged that the bear was simply protecting her cubs. His calm demeanor and understanding of the bear’s behavior may have been key to surviving the attack, as the bear eventually backed off.

🐻‍❄️ Black Bear Strength and Strategy in an Attack

Black bears, though smaller than grizzlies, are still dangerous. They can stretch to 6 feet tall, weigh up to 600 pounds, and have enough strength to flip heavy rocks. Their claws and jaws are powerful enough to tear through flesh. In Maelle’s case, he recognized the bear's maternal instincts and, perhaps due to his calmness, the bear chose not to continue the attack. After a tense standoff, Maelle escaped unharmed and ran for safety.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Grizzly Bear

A large species of bear known for its size, strength, and aggressive behavior, especially when protecting its cubs. In the video, Grizzly bears are highlighted as one of the main threats to humans, particularly mothers defending their young, which leads to attacks. The story of hunters in Alaska encountering a Grizzly and Wally Cash being attacked exemplifies this danger.

💡Mother Bear

A key theme in the video, mother bears are fiercely protective of their cubs and are the most likely to attack when they perceive a threat. This concept is central to many of the bear attacks described, where the presence of cubs leads the mothers to charge at humans, as seen in both the Grizzly and black bear encounters.

💡Black Bear

A smaller but still dangerous species of bear found in North America. Black bears are responsible for more attacks than Grizzlies, partly due to their larger population. In the video, a black bear attacks Kurt Maelle when he accidentally encounters her cubs. The incident shows the potential danger even from the less aggressive species of bear.

💡Cub

Bear cubs are the young offspring of bears and are a central trigger for bear attacks. In the video, the presence of cubs leads to aggressive protective behavior from both Grizzly and black bear mothers, as seen in the Alaska hunters’ story and Kurt Maelle's encounter. The cubs' vulnerability is a primary concern for mother bears.

💡Protective Behavior

The instinctual aggression displayed by mother bears when defending their cubs. The video shows that this is the primary reason for most human-bear encounters escalating into attacks. This behavior is exemplified in the stories of Wally Cash and Kurt Maelle, both of whom were attacked after unknowingly coming too close to bear cubs.

💡Hunter

Individuals in the video who encounter dangerous wildlife while hunting, often leading to life-threatening situations. For example, the hunters in Alaska narrowly escape a Grizzly bear attack by firing a warning shot, while Wally Cash was severely injured by a Grizzly in Yellowstone. Hunters are depicted as being at high risk in bear territories.

💡Attack Strategy

The defensive or offensive actions taken by bears during an attack. In the video, both Grizzly and black bears charge at high speed to scare off threats. Kurt Maelle’s black bear encounter highlights how standing one's ground can sometimes de-escalate a situation, as opposed to running, which can provoke further aggression.

💡Warning Shot

A shot fired by hunters in Alaska to deter an oncoming Grizzly bear. The warning shot serves as a means to stop the bear from attacking, illustrating a common tactic used to avoid full contact with dangerous wildlife. In this case, it prevented a potentially fatal encounter with the mother bear.

💡Climbing Trees

A survival tactic used by Kurt Maelle during his black bear encounter. He climbed a tree to escape the attacking bear, although the bear still managed to injure him. This illustrates the resourcefulness needed to survive such situations but also demonstrates the limitations of this strategy, as bears are skilled climbers.

💡Stand Your Ground

A strategy mentioned in the video for dealing with black bears. Experts suggest that standing your ground and making noise can sometimes deter a bear, as running away can provoke a chase. Kurt Maelle’s decision to face the bear likely contributed to the bear eventually backing off, emphasizing the importance of this tactic.

Highlights

70% of all human injuries from Grizzly attacks are caused by mothers defending their cubs.

Wart Stone is a wildlife pathologist who studies North American animals and emphasizes the protective nature of mother animals.

Hunters in Alaska avoided an actual Grizzly attack when they encountered cubs and heard the mother making warning noises.

A warning shot fired by hunters stopped a charging Grizzly mother protecting her cubs.

66-year-old Wally Cash was attacked by a Grizzly bear protecting her cubs in Yellowstone National Park, resulting in severe injuries.

Black bears strike more often than Grizzlies and cause more injuries, likely due to their larger population in North America.

There are an estimated 750,000 black bears in North America compared to about 75,000 Grizzlies.

Despite being smaller than Grizzlies, black bears can still be formidable and dangerous, especially when protecting their young.

In 1999, Kurt Maelle was attacked by a black bear in Colorado Springs when he stumbled upon her cubs.

Maelle was bitten multiple times by the black bear as he tried to escape by climbing a tree.

Black bears can run 50% faster than humans, making it nearly impossible to outrun them.

Maelle stood his ground when the black bear charged, a recommended strategy with black bears, and the bear eventually backed off.

Full-grown black bears can stretch up to 6 feet and weigh up to 600 pounds, with enough strength to flip over a 320-pound rock.

Maelle believed the bear's concern was primarily the safety of her cubs, which is why she attacked.

Experts suggest standing your ground or making noise when confronted by black bears to avoid escalating an attack.